Background: Valve replacement in aortic stenosis results in regression of left ventricular hypertrphy. The aim of this study was to define the relation between the diameters of prosthetic valves and the regression in left ventricular hypertrophy.

Methods: The echocardiographic findings, preoperatively and sixth months postoperatively, of 18 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement (in 2 patients 19 mm, in 7 patients 21 mm, in 8 patients 23 mm, in 1 patient 25 mm bileaflet aortic prosthetic valves were used) were obtained. The relation between the diameter of the prosthesis and the regression in ventricular hypertrophy was compared.

Results : We found that left ventricular mass index diminished by echocardiographic controls made in postoperative sixth months after operation. These findings were significant with 25 mm (p < 0.001) and 23 mm prosthetic valves (p < 0.01), but found insignificant with 19 mm prosthetic valves. We determined that the gradient difference between the 19 and 21 sized valves were not much significant while the difference between them and the larger sized valves were higher.

Conclusions: We found out that the effect of the residual gradient in small sized prosthetic valves was greater, as a result regression in left ventricular mass index was less.

Keywords : Aort stenosis, aortic valve replacement, ventricular hypertrophy, regression in hypertrophy